Arsenal have a dearth of striking options available to them until the end of the season - so much so that Mikel Merino has been suggested as a potential emergency No.9. The Gunners were rocked on Wednesday morning when it emerged that Kai Havertz - the club's only recognised fit senior striker - would miss the rest of the campaign through injury after tearing his hamstring during a training session in Dubai.
Havertz joins the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka on the sidelines and his absence will hit Arsenal hard in their bid to chase down Liverpool in the Premier League title race. It remains to be seen how Mikel Arteta will adapt with Havertz out. Players such as Leandro Trossard and Ethan Nwaneri would seemingly be the most likely candidates to step in - but some fans have been discussing another potential solution online.
A prominent Arsenal account suggested that Merino, a central midfielder, had been identified as an 'emergency auxiliary striker' and could play further forward in Havertz's absence. It remains to be seen if Merino would actually be deployed as a striker by Arteta, but very few fans seemed to be on board with the idea. One replied: "Guy who barely functions as a CM is expected to fill in at ST. Whoever is in charge of player recruitment needs to go asap.".
While some fans flat out dismissed the idea and others poked fun of the suggestion, some posters put forward alternative solutions. One social media user said: "We don’t have to play 3 forwards, pack the MF and play Trossard upfront. Goals will have to come from MF.". Join the debate! Who do you think should lead the line for Arsenal? Let us know here. A different poster came up with another rogue shout, saying: "I'd rather Calafiori if we're gonna get weird with it," referencing the fact that the Arsenal defender used to play as a striker in his youth.
While it remains to be seen who will get the nod to fill in up front, Arteta has made it clear the club were "disappointed" not to sign a striker in the January transfer window. Speaking last week, he said: "We had a clear intention which is there is a window open. For the players that can impact it, we haven't achieved it. We are disappointed. But we are very aware that we only want to bring certain types of player.".
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